Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
1920s Czech Vienna Secession Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Beech, Bentwood, Rattan
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood, Beech, Rattan
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
1910s Italian Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Leather, Beech
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Beech
1920s Austrian Victorian Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Upholstery, Bamboo
Early 1900s Austrian Arts and Crafts Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Beech
Late 19th Century Austrian Belle Époque Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Mid-19th Century German Belle Époque Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bamboo, Cane
1860s Austrian Baroque Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Velvet, Wood
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
Early 1900s European Vienna Secession Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Deco Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Beech
19th Century Austrian Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood, Leather
Early 20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Beech
Early 19th Century Hungarian Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Straw, Bentwood
1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Leather, Bentwood
1910s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Wicker, Beech
1910s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Wood
1910s Slovak Vienna Secession Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Late 19th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
1920s Austrian Modern Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Cotton, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
1920s German Bauhaus Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Fabric, Upholstery, Beech, Bentwood
1920s Austrian Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
19th Century Austrian Art Deco Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Jugendstil Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
19th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
1860s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
18th Century German Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Rattan, Wood
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood, Cane
Early 20th Century Austrian Jugendstil Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Beech, Braid
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
19th Century German Campaign Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Rattan
1890s Austrian Late Victorian Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Metal
Early 20th Century North American Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Jugendstil Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
1920s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood, Wicker
1870s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Beech, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Modern Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Wicker, Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
1890s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Beech, Bentwood
19th Century Austrian Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Wood, Cane
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Beech
Early 20th Century European Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Brass
1920s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Modern Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Wicker
Late 19th Century Austrian Belle Époque Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Belle Époque Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Late 19th Century Austrian Belle Époque Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
1920s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Antique Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood, Cane
- 1
Antique Thonet Rocking Chair For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Antique Thonet Rocking Chair?
Finding the Right rocking-chairs for You
The phrase “rocking chair” didn’t find its way into the dictionary until the mid-18th century. While most of the sitting furniture that we use in our homes originated in either England or France, the iconic rocking chair is a quintessentially American piece of furniture.
A Philadelphia cabinetmaker’s bill for a proto-rocking chair issued in 1742, which identified the seat as a “Nurse Chair with rockers,” is the earliest surviving evidence of this design’s humble beginnings. The nurse chair was a low side chair intended for nursing women, so giving it a soothing rocking motion made sense. Rocking chairs, which saw a curved slat affixed to the chairs’ feet so that they could be literally rocked, quickly gained popularity across the United States, garnering a reputation as a seat that everyone could love. They offered casual comfort without the expensive fabrics and upholstery that put armchairs out of many families’ budgets.
Rocking chairs are unique in that they don’t just offer a place to rest — they offer an opportunity to reminisce. The presence of one of these classic pieces stirs up our penchant for nostalgia and has the power to transform a space. They easily introduce a simple country feel to the city or bring the peaceful rhythm of a porch swing into a sheltered sunroom. Although craftsmen took to painting and stenciling varieties of the chairs that emerged in New England during the 19th century, the most traditional rocking chairs are generally unadorned seats constructed with time-tested materials like wood and metal. As such, a minimalist vintage rocking chair can be ushered into any corner of your home without significantly disrupting your existing decor scheme or the room’s color palette.
In the decades since the first rocker, top designers have made the piece their own. Viennese chair maker Michael Thonet produced a series of rockers in the middle of the 19th century in which the different curved steam-bent wood parts were integrated into fluid, sinuous wholes. Mid-century modernists Charles and Ray Eames added wooden rockers to their famous plastic shell armchair, while Danish designer Frank Reenskaug opted for teak and polished beech, introducing pops of color with small cushions (a precursor to the bold works that would follow in the 1970s and 1980s).
No matter your personal style, let 1stDibs pair you with your perfect seat. Deck out your porch, patio or parlor — browse the vintage, new and antique rocking chairs in our vast collection today.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To identify a Thonet rocking chair, look for the company name. You will normally find it stamped directly onto the underside of the seat, arms or legs. You can find a collection of expertly vetted Thonet rocking chairs on 1stDibs.
Read More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Fred Rigby’s Modular Seating Can Be Configured in So Many Handy Ways
The plush Cove Slipper 2.5 Seater sofa is just one of many convenient combinations from the London-based maker.
This Chubby-Chic Quilted Stool Stands on Its Own Two Feet
Sam Klemick's cool stool is edgy, cozy and environmentally sustainable all at once.
Riotous Shapes and Colors Have Made Uchronia’s Designs the Toast of Paris
Julien Sebban’s energetic design collective is radically reshaping the look of 21st-century European furniture and interiors.
Is Lionel Jadot the Willy Wonka of Upcycled Belgian Design?
From his massive collaborative workshop in a former paper factory, the designer concocts funky furniture from disused materials, as well as luxe hotel interiors like the new Mix Brussels.
Rock Your Cares Away on This Sunny Hand-Crocheted Swing
The boho-chic Enchanted Forest Swing, handmade by marginalized women from Turkey and Syria, is uplifting in every way.
Learn Why Designer Maarten Baas Set This Charles Rennie Mackintosh Chair on Fire
What happens when you do something to a piece of furniture that you shouldn’t? It becomes an entirely new object.
Eileen Gray’s Famed Cliffside Villa in the South of France Is Returned to Its Modernist Glory
After years of diligent restoration, E-1027, the designer-cum-architect’s marriage of romance and modernism, is finally complete.